New Poll: Graphic Novels

You may have noticed the new poll over the right sidebar. So here's the deal.

I've been thinking a lot about graphic novels lately. I have a ton on my shelf that I'm currently working through reviews for, and it made me wonder. How many of you (my readers) read graphic novels? This would encompass manga too, of course. Obviously my reviews for graphic novels would be approached a little differently if many of you were unfamiliar with this genre.

I personally read a lot of graphic novels, not because I'm lazy or dislike reading (obviously) but because I think they offer a different type of storytelling than traditional novels. The artwork of a graphic novel can enhance a story so much. But it's a double edged sword too. Artwork can also make a great story seem bland.

So what do you think? Graphic novels or no? Vote in the poll and let me know your thoughts below!

Agony

I'm back from the play, and it was AMAZING! Just as good as I expected. :) If you've never seen it, you should defiantely check out the Into the Woods DVD. Bernadette Peters is the best witch ever.

So to keep you occupied for tonight, here's a video of my favorite song: "Agony". I apologize for the quality, but this really is the best one I could find on YouTube:


The reprise is a very funny song too, but it would ruin the first act for those of you who haven't seen the play before, so I'm not positng it here. To see the rest of the play, you'll have to get the DVD. And I highly recommend it.

Gone Again

Sorry guys, off to another play today. After work this morning I get to go see Into the Woods. So no new updates today. However, another Royal Rebels has been posted over at my other blog. Check it out if you interested.

See you on the flip side!

Waiting on Wednesday: 7.29.09

Last WoW for this month. Let's make it a good one:

Hannah (Daughters Of The Sea) by Kathryn Lasky

About the Book (from Amazon.com): "Daughters of the Sea tells the story of 3 mermaid sisters who are separated at birth by a storm and go on to lead three very different lives. Book 1 is about Hannah, who spent her early days in an orphanage and is now a scullery maid in the house of rich, powerful family. She is irresistibly drawn to the sea and through a series of accidents and encounters discovers her true identity. Hannah relizes that she must keep the truth a secret but she also knows that soon she will have to make the choice - to be a creature of the land or the sea."

Really, it's a terrible description. I really hope this isn't what they decide to put on the cover. But I'm still excited anyway! I've always had a thing for mermaids. I blame my Little Mermaid obsession when I was 4. And Kathryn Lasky was one of my favorite authors when I was growing up. So I'm excited for that reason too.

Something about that cover is very appealing too. This actually a picture of a different cover. The newest version says "Hannah" where the word "Girl in the Shadows" is now. I couldn't find a good picture of the other cover. But both are still very pretty. I know, I know, more cover gushing. I'll stop now.

Hannah (Daughters Of The Sea) will be released on September 1st and is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com:

Winner of Contest Monday: Derailed

Just when I thought Contest Monday was shriveling in the wake of Shiver and Catching Fire, you guys come back and surprise me! So despite my interent problems today, I'm happy to announce that the winner of a signed copy of Derailed is:

Debs Desk

Congrats! You're a winner! You have one week to claim your prize. Email me with your mailing address and I'll get your new copy of Derailed in the mail to you ASAP. Everyone else, you already have a new chance to win a signed book in this week's contest.

If you didn't win this time, you can order your own copy of Derailed from Amazon.com:

And ooooh, look at that! I updated the sidebar right away this time! :)

Contest Monday: Win a Copy of Jet Set

Eh. Still a little behind on blogging lately. But at least this is still Monday! The prize this time is for a brand new paperback ARC of Jet Set by Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman.

About the Book (From Amazon.com): "I'm Lucy Peterson, and let me tell you—I don't fit in at my new boarding school in Switzerland at all. Caviar at every meal, white-tie affairs (because black-tie is so last season), trips to Geneva to pick up the latest couture, and real live royals lurking around every corner? None of that is really my speed. I'm just your average American teen, here on scholarship, ready to kick some academic and tennis butt so I can have my pick of Ivy League colleges.

Only now I'm falling all over myself to impress my crush, who just happens to be a prince, I've gotten myself tangled up in a tabloid disaster—literally—and the "It" clique on campus has decided that I am worthy of their evil scorn. What have I gotten myself into?"

How to Enter: To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post. Or, if you can't leave a comment, send an email to shadyglade (AT) mail (DOT) com with the subject line "Jet Contest" and include your name, your email address, and the correct subject line.

How to earn Extra Entries:

1. Post about the contest on your blog or website. +1 for a sidebar post, +2 for a regular post. Post a link in your comment.
2. Become a follower of this Blog (post a comment to let me know).
3. Come up with and post your own Contest Monday (post a comment with the link).

Rules: The contest is open until Monday, August 10th, 2009. Open to US and Canada residents, even if you've won a contest in the past. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator. One free entry per person allowed. See above for instructions to earn extra contest entries. Rules about claiming prizes can be found here. Questions? Post a comment or email and ask.

Good luck to everyone! I am going out of two on August 6th through August 12th, so I will announce the winner of this contest as soon as I get back from that trip.

Jet Set will soon be released in paperback, and is currently available in hardcover from Amazon.com:

*The amazing Contest Monday banner was designed by Liyana.

June Updates

Okay, so here's the post of updates I mentioned yesterday. Hopefully I'll have the sidebars finished and updated with this stuff soon!

First of all, let's start with the sidebars I do have done. The Books Completed in 2009 in the right sidebar, and Winner's Circle in the left sidebar have both been completely updated. So enjoy looking at those.

Next, here's a list of books featured pre-release date in the month of June that are now available for order. Only two this week, since most of the books featured lately still haven't reached thier pub dates yet!

These books are now available at a store near you:
A Sweet Disorder by Jacqueline Kolosov (Read original post here)
Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard (Read original post here)

And lastly, here's my updated wishlist for this month (up in the sidebar soon). If you want to sew what I have available to trade, you can see this post or send me an email and ask.

Added to my wishlist this month:
Betraying Season by Marissa Doyle
Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
Hannah (Daughters Of The Sea) by Kathryn Lasky
Winter's Child by Cameron Dokey
Time of the Witches by Anna Meyers
Sphinx's Princess by Esther Friesner
Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner
Hawksmaid by Kathryn Lasky
Rapture of the Deep by L. A. Meyer
Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein
Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
Warrior Princess #2: Destiny's Path by Frewin Jones
The Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliott
Pichi Pichi Pitch 1: Mermaid Melody by Pink Hanamori
Emma: Volume 2 by Karou Mori
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Enter Three Witches by Caroline B. Cooney
Envy by Anna Godbersen
Splendor by Anna Godbersen
Gateway by Sharon Shinn
The Art of Reading by RIF
Dragonfly by Julia Golding
Forest Born by Shannon Hale
River Secrets by Shannon Hale
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
The Walls Have Eyes by Clare B Dunkle
ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor
Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda
Geek Charming by Robin Palmer
Cindy Ella by Robin Palmer
Doomed Queens by Kris Waldherr

And last, but never least, I want to thank everyone who's very, very kindly nominated me for an award since I last rounded these up:

Celi.a has nominated for the Heartfelt Award.

Jessica granted we with the coveted Lemonade Award.

Cracking Spines & Taking Names has given me the beautiful Proximade Award.

Diana, The Book Pixie, and Kristen have all nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award.

Liyana has also nominated me for the Literary Blogger Award.

Genevieve also nominated me for the Splash Award.

Thank you so much everyone! I didn't know you cared. :) I'm all full of warm fuzzies now. If I missed one, I sincerely apologize. I've been so disorganized about keeping up with these. Leave me a comment below and I'll make sure you get your full (and deserved) gratitude.

LOL of the week: PMS

Seems like even lions have to deal with this problem...

If you'd like to learn more about LOLcats, you can check out the website, or read my review of the book. Have a great week!

Working on updates

So as I (finally) have a little time to work on the blog, I'm trying to get a few updates done. Looking over my archives, I noticed I didn't post any of my monthly updates except site searches. So I'm working on those, as well as updating/adding stuff to the sidebars. You'll also notice I finally had time to put the background to how it was pre-4th of July.

More soon when I get done!

Things to Trade

In an attempt to keep my sidebar somewhat uncluttered, I am using this post for a semi-permament list of what I have available to trade for books on my wishlist. If you see something you want, send me an email and let me know. We'll try to work something out. You can see my wishlist over the in left sidebar.

A Quick Update

A new installment of Royal Rebels was posted today. This is probably one of my favorite parts of the series. You can check it out if you're interested.

Still pretty busy. Hope to be back soon!

Waiting on Wednesday: 7.22.09

It's time for another Waiting on Wednesday. Or, as I sometime think of it, my-to-be-read-pile-is-already-so-long-it's-taller-than-the-capitol-but-I-still-need-this-book. Haha.

Anyway, here's today's feature:

Dreaming Anastasia: A Novel of Love, Magic, and the Power of Dreams by Joy Preble

About the Book (from Amazon.com): "What really happened to Anastasia Romanov?

Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.

In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college—until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams…"

Just like Tudor books, I've always been fascinated by anything to do with Anastasia Romanov. Hmm... maybe I just have a royalty thing going on in general...

Dreaming Anastasia will be released on September 1. You can currently pre-order your copy from Amazon.com: